Chapter 0353

As they walked out, a meaningful glint flashed in Lu Youqi's eyes as he spoke up.

"I saw the Wang family's car on my way here earlier. I wonder..."

Luo Yao replied flatly, "The Doomed Group has been acquired by us."

"What?"

Lu Youqi stood frozen, stunned that his business partner had been silently absorbed without a word.

So what the hell had he been doing all this time?

Of the three great families, one had been taken down, another absorbed, and now only his remained—struggling under official investigation, barely holding on.

Damn it, so after all this, we're just completely wiped out?

As the top family in Shanghai, are we just destined to get stabbed in the back?

Ridiculous.

How did it come to this? Could Luo Yao really be this formidable?

No way. Absolutely no way.

"President Luo's methods are truly masterful. Had I known earlier, I wouldn’t have competed with you, making things so difficult for everyone."

Luo Yao walked expressionlessly toward her convoy in the estate. "I'm not the one suffering. You are."

Well, Lu Youqi suddenly felt like some character from a foreign movie.

Little did they know, the Lu family had already undergone a complete upheaval at that very moment...

Lin Ran and Luo Yao rode in one car, driven by Wang Bao, with Little Tong in the passenger seat, assistant Liu Meng, cousin Chen Qingtian, and a team of bodyguards following behind.

Chen Qingtian thought of herself as the life of the party, hoping to build a good relationship with Luo Yao to pave her way to riches.

But she gradually realized she’d boarded the wrong car.

"Yao Yao, do you think the people at the Lu estate will bully us?"

"No one can bully me. If they bully you, I’ll just eliminate them all."

Chen Qingtian: "..."

"Once we arrive, what identity should I present myself with?"

"As the husband of Luo Corporation’s CEO. If you don’t like that, you can go as the Lu family’s undertaker."

Lin Ran: "???"

Chen Qingtian: "..."

Luo Yao suddenly flashed a meaningful smile.

"Ah Ran, I know you love drama, so I arranged a special show for you at the Lu estate. You’ll see it soon."

For some reason, Chen Qingtian felt her mental fortitude was on the verge of collapse.

Lin Ran, however, perked up with interest, wearing a blissful smile.

"Having such a wonderful wife is truly my blessing. Sometimes I wonder if this is all a dream, but every real sensation tells me it’s all true."

After saying this, Lin Ran sighed from the depths of his heart.

"I’m so happy, looking back to see you still by my side."

Luo Yao: "I’ll always stay by Ah Ran’s side, loving Ah Ran."

Chen Qingtian: "..."

She glanced at Liu Meng, who sat with her head lowered, expression calm—except her lips kept trembling.

"Do you have Parkinson’s?"

Liu Meng: "Huh? No."

"Then why are your lips shaking?"

"Oh, I’m reciting scripture."

"What scripture?"

"The Heart-Cleansing Mantra."

Chen Qingtian began questioning her life choices.

Was her emotional resistance really this weak?

Luo Yao shot them a glance, and Lin Ran also felt a little embarrassed—he hadn’t meant to flaunt their affection.

"Yao Yao, I wasn’t with you during your lowest moments, yet here I am sharing your peak. Isn’t that a bit selfish?"

"No. I’ll bring the highest summit to you so you can stand atop it, because you’re Ah Ran—you deserve the best."

Pfft!

Chen Qingtian finally snapped, feeling her entire body break out in goosebumps.

"You two... are too much! Ugh, I need to find someone to whisper sweet nothings to me every day too!"

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow.

"I think there’s someone perfect for you."

"Who?"

"Wang Dacong. You two—a playboy and a gold-digger—are a match made in heaven. Except he’s actually had his fill, while you haven’t even taken a bite."

You son of a— Stay calm, stay calm. If I rage, who benefits? I’m celebrity Chen Qingtian, I must be poised, not irritable.

Watching Chen Qingtian start reciting mantras too, Lin Ran sighed helplessly and looked at Luo Yao beside him.

Suddenly, he noticed something—Luo Yao didn’t actually seem to dislike Chen Qingtian that much.

He wasn’t wrong. Luo Yao indeed didn’t resent Chen Qingtian anymore.

First, Chen Qingtian was fundamentally different from other women—she was Lin Ran’s cousin, came from a politically influential family, and wasn’t likely to compete for Ah Ran’s attention.

Second, Luo Yao had investigated and confirmed Chen Qingtian’s sexual orientation was normal, so no risk of her falling for Luo Yao either.

Moreover, Luo Yao had noticed something subtle—this woman, who seemed carefree on the surface, was actually quite perceptive.

For instance, she always greeted Luo Yao first whenever they met. Beyond her money-making motives, it was also a deliberate act to show she wasn’t overly attached to Lin Ran—a performance meant for Luo Yao.

She was signaling that, as family, she wouldn’t divert Lin Ran’s focus. Chen Qingtian never said it outright, but Luo Yao could sense it.

Once or twice might be coincidence, but consistently? That was intentional.

Who could say such a woman wasn’t sharp?

She knew her boundaries, was bold yet meticulous, and understood what she wanted.

Her carefree nature was her personality; her attentiveness was her essence—two traits that rarely coexisted seamlessly in one person.

Her only flaw was being a bit promiscuous—but upon closer inspection, her "promiscuity" was all talk. She hadn’t actually been with a single man.

Luo Yao had said she hated players, but Chen Qingtian didn’t know that.

And she wasn’t really a player—at least not in action.

At most, she was just... mentally adventurous.

"Ah Ran, I heard the guys in Capital University’s sports department are quite something. Since cousin here loves men so much, why not arrange a whole platoon for her?"

Chen Qingtian: "Huh?"

Lin Ran: "A whole platoon?"

Could Chen Qingtian’s petite frame even handle that?

And did Luo Yao just call her "cousin"?

"Wang Xiaolin just went public," Liu Meng suddenly cut in, handing Luo Yao a tablet. Lin Ran leaned over to look.

The official statement from Doomed Group’s account was simple: From today onward, Doomed Group belonged to Luo Yao Holdings.

A glance at the comments:

[FollowMeToProsperity]: Doomed Group is Luo Yao’s now? Right after Luo Corp took down the Li family, they swallowed the Wangs too. Is she trying to single-handedly dismantle Shanghai’s three great families? That’s... so damn cool.

[DevastatinglyHot]: Holy crap, no wonder everyone’s talking about buying stocks next market opening. Old Wang’s move was genius—using Luo Corp’s clout to bail himself out.